I no longer have a fretted bass.

Now that my CAR VV5 is on it's way to the warmer climates of California, all I have is my SC fretless which has a truly blessed, deep, rich, voice. I have not played an instrument that looked or sounded quite as good as this.

I'm having a new neck built for my natural ash VV5 that will go from a maple board to an unilned rosewood board. It is on it's way back to Chris now for the sex-change. I'm looking forward very much to getting it back.

This leaves me with no speedbumps for the first time since I began playing.

I'm playing more for fun now than anything. As badly as I want some sort of band, I really don't have time for it at the moment and I just enjoy playing fretless more. I think part of me always did enjoy it more but I never had the cajones to really go for it. I am not worried about the perceptions of others (read bandmates, or worse yet, potential bandmates etc.) at the moment and decided to go for what I want. I'm not saying I don't like fretted or that I won't have another one. It's just not something I truly need and I'm just trying to free myself of some of the conventions that I found somewhat restricting in the past.

I think by going sans-fretted for the time being, I'll also force myself head-first back into more of the sublte nuances of fretless and not have to have some nagging thought in the back of my head that I'm neglecting my fretted bass(es). I think that after a while when I eventually get back into fretted, my LH technique will only have improved.